October 3, 2011: Spanish Rice

Making Spanish rice is much like making a risotto. The rice is fried first, then bits of liquid are added slowly and absorbed before adding more. It really doesn’t take a whole lot more time than making a box of Rice-a-Roni and this homemade Spanish rice is far tastier!

During the cooking process - this rice still needs to cook a bit longer because it hasn't yet absorbed all the liquid.

Spanish Rice

1 T. olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely minced

½ cup minced yellow or white onion (optional)

½ cup white rice

½ cup peeled and seeded tomato, chopped (about 1 medium sized tomato or use canned tomatoes)

½ t. dried cilantro

½ t. dried sage

1 t. garlic salt blend with parsley

¼ t. black pepper

About 3 cups chicken broth

Heat oil to medium low in a saucepan. Add garlic and sauté for about one minute, being careful not to burn garlic. Add rice and sauté until it just begins to turn golden brown. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth, the tomatoes, and spices, stirring occasionally. When the liquid is almost all absorbed, add another cup of chicken broth. Continue cooking and adding broth until rice is tender, at least 20 – 25 minutes. 

Serves 3 - 4

October 2, 2011: Green Chile Sauce Recipe

If you’re a green chile fan like I am, you know that these hot peppers reach their peak right around Labor Day. In fact, the famous Green Chile Festival in Hatch, NM – the self-proclaimed Green Chile Capital of the World – always occurs on Labor Day weekend. For those of us who didn’t make the festival, grocery stores and certain civic groups are always roasting green chiles around this time. The smell of roasting chiles is better than the finest perfume, to my nose!

So if you stocked up on fresh or roasted green chile when it was available, chances are you’ve got quite a bit of it on hand. If so, this recipe for green chile sauce is perfect. Make a huge batch and then can your leftovers so you can enjoy homemade green enchiladas any time of the year!

A meal worthy of any Mexican restaurant - beef burrito smothered in green chile sauce with a side of Spanish rice.

Green Chile Sauce

2 T. vegetable oil or bacon grease (the bacon grease really adds to the flavor)

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

½ cup finely chopped yellow or white onion

2 T. flour

1 cup coarsely chopped green chiles (about 4 – 5)

½ cup peeled and seeded tomato, chopped

2 ½ cups chicken broth

1 t. dried cilantro (or 1 T. fresh, minced cilantro)

1 t. cumin powder

1 t. garlic salt

½ t. black pepper

Heat the oil or grease to medium in a saucepan. Add the garlic and onions and cook for a couple minutes, until vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute longer. Add the chiles and tomatoes. Slowly stir in the chicken broth and add the spices. Stir frequently until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for one minute to thicken sauce, then reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 10-15 minutes, to heighten flavor.

Tip: Green chile sauce is quite versatile – you can use it to smother a burrito, make enchiladas, heat with Velveeta for a quick chile con queso, or make huevos rancheros for breakfast.

October 1, 2011: Cookbooks Are For More Than Just Recipes

Welcome to October! Are you ready for this month that epitomizes autumn? I love it when the mornings are crisp, the days are short and warm, and in the evenings a faint hint of wood smoke wafts through the air. Plus, October means we’re just one month closer to my very favorite holiday of the year, Thanksgiving!

October is a busy month when it comes to celebrating things. October is, among other things, National Cookbook Month, National Cookie Month, National Pasta Month, National Apple Month and National Dessert Month. In honor of all these food-related celebrations, the bog this month will be focusing on the above mentioned items.

Just some of my collection of vintage (and new) cookbooks.

Let’s start with cookbooks. What can you do to honor your cookbooks this month? For one thing, you can use them for more than just great recipes. Personally, I collect cookbooks – the older, the better. Some of them have some really super graphics on the cover, which makes them perfect for displaying in a prominent place. In fact, at this time of year, I put my cookbooks out turned to the appropriate pages that show off Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. There’s just something warm and homey about a kitchen that is full of cookbooks.

My fall display of cookbooks on the kitchen counter top. The little teapot actually holds sugar (my husband uses LOTS of sugar in his coffee).

Here’s a quick decorating idea: Take several pretty cookbooks and prop them in a corner on the kitchen counter top; use an old coffeepot or vintage appliance as a bookend.

I put these large cookbooks in a corner of the counter because they're pretty - and they're green, just like my kitchen!

If you’re not too attached to your cookbooks, you can also remove some of the pages with the best pictures and frame them as artwork for your kitchen. If you’re really ambitious, you could compile a whole stack of beautiful cookbook pages and decoupage them on an entire wall of your kitchen.

And finally, cookbooks can be the theme of a party. Why not get together with your friends and do a cookbook exchange/tea party? Use recipe cards for invitations. Serve different types of hot tea or cocoa along with appetizers to munch on while everyone looks over the offerings. If you don’t have enough cookbooks in your collection, a quick trip to the thrift or used book store and a few dollars will instantly add to your inventory!

Happy National Cookbook Month!